after weeks of research i need to buy a skimmerand return pump. i found a site that sells a "supreme mag 9.5 utility pump" for $70. is this a good choice for a 92g corner tank reef ready with a 20g long under cabinet sump? they also have "css needlewheel 220 for$150,red sea berlin turbo xl for $210 or aqua medic turbo floater 1000 w/o pump for $150 any and all comments are very much appreciated as i need to buy soon cause i have 100# of live rock i got sunday cycling in my tank. thanks again in advance
newby needs help with equipment choice
- Thread starter 6stang9
- Start date
The Mag 9.5 is probably the neighborhood (gph-wise) you want to be in. But to make sure, how much head will it be pushing - how high is the top of the tank off the ground?
Is the sump only used for the skimmer and heaters? Will there be a fuge? Do you have bubble traps set up in the sump? You don't want so much flow that it causes microbubbles, and fuges need slower water movement than what usually goes through a sump.
Of the 3 skimmers listed, I'd go for the CSS 220. That should work nicely for your tank. I think bigalsonline.com has a nice price on these skimmers.
HTH
Is the sump only used for the skimmer and heaters? Will there be a fuge? Do you have bubble traps set up in the sump? You don't want so much flow that it causes microbubbles, and fuges need slower water movement than what usually goes through a sump.
Of the 3 skimmers listed, I'd go for the CSS 220. That should work nicely for your tank. I think bigalsonline.com has a nice price on these skimmers.
HTH
thank you for reply. head ? dont know what you mean. the top of the tank is about 4.5 feet. sump only for skimmer and heater. no fuge. will have bubble traps. big als is where i got the prices. i listed the three skimmers for what i thought would work best under my tank, do you suggest some thing else?
Fred_J
New member
The mag 9.5 is a good return pump. You will need some extra flow in the tank. I use 3 Seio 820's in my 75. The tunze is a better pump if you can afford it. These pumps put out more volume at less pressure. In your case I would go with a couple higher rated Seio's.
Everyone is talking about the CSS they really seem to like it. I would pick it of your choices.
Everyone is talking about the CSS they really seem to like it. I would pick it of your choices.
So 4.5 feet of head then. At that height, the Mag 9.5 would be doing about 775gph (turning over your tank a little over 8x an hour). The 950gph they list is with no head pressure on the pump. I think the 9.5 is a nice choice.
Like Fred suggested, you then want to supplement your return flow with powerheads, like the SEIOs or perhaps even the Streams. As a generalization, a reef tank could need about 20x overturn. The amount of flow you need will depend on what you want to keep in your tank.
I think the CSS is a good skimmer at a good price. The CSS 220 (it is good to oversize the skimmer as manufacturers like to inflate their ratings) would be nice on your 92g. Not to confuse you, but there are other in-sump skimmers that have great reputations: ASM, EuroReef, MRC, Deltec, etc. Prices can be a factor with some of these skimmers - just pick one that fits your tank's needs, fits in your sump and stand, and fits your wallet.
doox00
Premium Member
I have a mag 9.5 return for my aga 90g magaflow tank, with about 4-5' of head as well. It was actually a little to much for the overflow to handle without being super noisy. I ended up plumbing the return line (as suggestion from other reefers) to pump back to the display tank and T off so a portion goes back to the intake of the sump. I put a ball valve inline on the section that goes back to the sump to control how much flow goes back to the maintank/sump. It has worked very nicely. My mag 9.5 is very quiet also, happy with it.
i noticed that the return was smaller then the intake. thanks for the tip i was going to plumb the return to the bottom of the tank anyway so maybe ill just plumb the whole return right from the sump. i also dont know the hieght of the skimmers but the css 220 loks short enough for access under my tank. think so?
dead beat reef
New member
dont skimp on the heartbeat of your tank. a powerhead or
submerged pump may not be enough. 92 corner plus 20 sump.
4.5 ft. of head. external air cooled pump at 3000 gals. plus is
what you will be happy with. at 225 or 250 not cheap. I got a
dart on a 60 gal. runs filter,cir,wavermaker,skimmer so the
cost of the pump is not so much after all. I did spend 70 than
150 than 225 dont learn the hard way $ dbr
submerged pump may not be enough. 92 corner plus 20 sump.
4.5 ft. of head. external air cooled pump at 3000 gals. plus is
what you will be happy with. at 225 or 250 not cheap. I got a
dart on a 60 gal. runs filter,cir,wavermaker,skimmer so the
cost of the pump is not so much after all. I did spend 70 than
150 than 225 dont learn the hard way $ dbr
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